Language and Culture: Anth 4628

Syllabus Spring 2007

Time: 2:30 to 3:45 Tuesday and Thursday

Language and Culture is an upper division seminar combining Anthropology and Linguistics. As a seminar, it will concentrate on readings, class discussions, individual research and presentation of research. It will begin by examining trends in linguistic anthropology from the traditional view of what constitutes anthropological linguistics and then examine some of the new findings of the new findings involving cultural metaphors and cognitive linguistics.

Class attendance is expected, as is class participation which counts for 10% of your grade. It is particularly important to come to student presentations. Each student will present his research on a topic involved with language and culture. The printed paper will be due at the beginning of the last regular class period. In addition there will be a midterm and a final examination. Each student will also turn in three written interviews with foreign students. The research paper and presentation will be 60% of the grade, the midterm 10% of the grade and the final examination 20% of the grade. The interviews will be part of the class participation grade. All work must be turned in by the last day of class, May 3rd.

Class Participation

10%

Midterm Examination

10%

Final Examination

20%

Research Paper and Presentation

60%

Total

100%

Tentative Day to Day Assignments. These are tentative because undoubtedly, some areas will need more discussion than others so we will spend more time on those and less time on others.

The supplementary exercises at the end of the chapters should be examined, but unless assigned, do not need to written.

Jan

16

Introduction & Video: Human Language Series Part 1 (vc 2445)

18

Chapters 1 and 2 and questions at the end of Chapter 2.

23

Video Human Language Series part 2 and

25

Chapter 3, Whorf/Sapir and questions at end

30

Continue on Chapter 3 and handout

Feb

01

Finish up on language and thought

06

Chapter 4 Phonology

08

Continue on Phonology will work on problems at the end of the chapter

13

Chapter 5, Morphology

15

Continue of Chapter 5 and work problems at the end of the book

20

Go over problems on the handout

22

Start chapter 8

27

Continue on Chapter 8

March

01

Chapter 9

06

Continue on Chapter 9. Pay particular attention to speech and gender. Think about what you feel is the effect of gender restriction.

08

View film "You Just don't understand" by Deborah Tannen and turn in rough draft of research project

13

Spring Break

15

Spring Break

20

Class view Video "American Tongues (Professor at Oxford Round Table)

22

Midterm Examination (Professor at Oxford Round Table)

27

Handout on Cultural Metaphors Lakoff's Cognitive Grammar

29

Handout on Cultural Metaphors Lakoff's Cognitive Grammar

April

03

Handout on Cultural Metaphors Lakoff's Cognitive Grammar

5

Answer questions and finish cultural metaphors and whatever topics still